Fire extinguishing installation



May 15, 1951 H. E. BEDFORD 2,553,293

FIRE EXTINGUISHING INSTALLATION Filed Aug. 27, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet 1FIG. 2'.

FIG.I.

IN VEN TOR.

ATTOfE/VE May 15, 1951 H. E. BEDFORD 2,553,293

FIRE EXTINGUISHING INSTALLATION Filed Aug. 27, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEN TOR.

BY Mad -5 y ATTORNEY y 1951 H. E. BEDFORD 2,553,293

FIRE EXTINGUISHING INSTALLATION Filed Aug. 2'7. 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet 3FIG.5. v 2 I a.

. INVENTOR.

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A TZZQRZVET Patented May 15, 19 51 FIRE EXTINGUISHING INSTALLATIONHoward Edwin Bedford, Brentford, England, assignor, by mesneassignments, to Pyrene Manufacturing Company, Newark, N. J., acorporation of Delaware Application August 27, 1946, Serial N 0. 693,336In Great Britain September 3, 1945 9 Claims. (Cl. 1694) This inventionrelates to an improved construction and arrangement for delivering fireextinguishing foam to a tank for the purpose of spreading a blanket ofthe foam over the surface of the material contained in the tank.

Oil tanks and other containers of highly inflammable material haveheretofore been provided with fixed installations for the delivery offire extinguishing foam upon the outbreak of a fire. These arrangementshave been such that the foam delivered to the tank will be spread as ablanket over the surface of the inflammable material to thus exclude theaccess of air to the material. Installations of this character haveusually included a riser or supply pipe extending upwardly along theoutside of the tank and connected at its upper end to a spreading orother delivery device extending into the tank. It has been recognized asdesirable to test fire extinguishing equipment of this characterperiodically in order to make certain that it will be in good operatingcondition when it is required in an emergency. In prior arrangements thetesting of the fire extinguishing equipment has almost invariablyresulted in the introduction of a quantity of foam into the tank so thatthe contents is diluted or contaminated to a certain extent.

Frequently it has been found desirable to provide a vapor seal inconnection with the device through which the fire extinguishing foam isintroduced in order to prevent the escape of vapors or gases from thetop of the tank through the foam delivery pipe. In prior arrangementsconsiderable difiiculty has usually been encountered in the replacementof the vapor seals which ordinarily are formed of relatively thin,flexible material, such as cellophane, capable of preventing the escapeof the vapors but being at the same time readily broken by the stream offoam delivered under pressure. These vapor seals are usually broken inthe course of the periodic tests and their replacement entails aconsiderable amount of work.

It has been a primary object of the present invention to provide anarrangement in which the foam generating and delivering equipment may bereadily tested periodically without the introduction of foam into thetank.

Another object has been to provide equipment of the character indicatedwhich is very simple in construction and which may be expeditiouslyprepared for testing and then restored to its operative condition afterthe test has been performed.

A further object of the invention has been to provide an installationfor delivering foam to a sealed tank which permits the testing of thefoam producing and delivering equipment without breaking the vaporseal.In connection with this phase of the invention it has also been anobject to provide simple means, adapted for quick operation, forinspection, introduction or replacement of the vapor sealing means.

Still another object of the invention has been to provide an arrangementof the character indicated which is sturdy and durable and less subjectto damage in the course of use and repair than prior installations.Related to this is the further object of so constructing and arrangingthe foam delivery means that they are accessible for inspection andrepair directly from the roof of the tank, thus eliminating the need forextra ladders. It is a feature of the invention in this connection, toprovide the high point of the foam delivery system as close as possibleto the wall of the tank and just below the level of the roof. As aresult, if the roof of the tank becomes displaced and is caused to fallor rest upon the high point of the foam delivery system the leveragethrough which the force will act upon the connection with the tank wallwill be relatively short.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will appear froma detailed description of an illustrative embodiment of the same andcertain modifications which will now be given in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a View, partially in elevation and partially in verticalsection, showing a portion of the top of a large tank and a portion ofthe riser with the improved connection therebetween.

Figure 2 is a similar view of the same parts taken at right angles toFigure 1.

Figures 3 and 4 are views similar to Figures 1 and 2, but with theswivelled hood turned about its axis through Figure 5 is a view similarto Figure 1 showing a modified form of connection between the riser andthe foam intake member, and

Figures 6 and '7 are similar views showing two further modifications ofthe connection between the riser and foam intake.

In connection with the present invention a foam intake fitting ismounted on and passes through the side wall of the tank at a pointadjacent the top. This fitting is preferably elbow shaped and providedwith an upwardly facing, horizontally disposed intake port. port islocated adjacent to the upper end of a The intake vertically extendingriser through which the fire extinguishing foam is delivered from thefoam producer at a distant point. A shiftable hood member serves toconnect the upper end of the riser with the intake port of the fittingcarried by the tank. In normal operation the foam is directed upwardlythrough the riser against the underside of the hood and is thendeflected downwardly into the intake port and into the tank fordistribution over the surface of the oil. The hood, however, is capableof being shifted in whole or in part so as to expose--theintake-port forthe replacement of the vapor seal,- if one is provided, and to divertthe re' inuway fibrin" intake port. v necting hood may be provided foraccomplishing the foregoing purposes.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown in Figure 1 a portion ofthe top" of ata"nk' l adapted to retain oil or other inflammablematerial. A roof II is provided at the top of the tank. Through the sidewall an inlet opening 12, for fire extinguishing foam, is provided,as'best shown in Figure 2, and this opening is preferably reinforced bya plate l3 which is riveted or bolted or otherwise secured to the wallof the tank and provided with a central opening aligned with the openingl2. Integral with, or otherwise connected'with, the plate I3 is a smallhood 1' extending inwardly into the tank and arranged to direct the foamdownwardly within the tank. An extension [5 of: the curved top of thehood serves to deflect the foam toward the wall of the tank and assistsin spreading the foam over the surface of the inflammable material inthe tank.

A foam inlet fittinglfi has a main conduit portion ll, preferably ,ofelbow configuration and rectangular in cross section, and has at itsinner end a flange 18 adapted to be riveted, boltedor otherwise securedto, the plate I3. The conduit I I of the fitting I 6 extends outwardlyaway from the tank and then upwardly to provide a hori zontally disposedintake port which is surrounded by a flange;l9 integral with orotherwise secured to the upper end of the conduit.

A foam delivery riser "26 extends upwardly along the side wall of thetank .an'dis provided at its-upper end with a horizontally disposedflange 2!. It will be understood that any suitable form of foamproducingequipment maybe provided for delivering fire-extinguishingfoam'to'and through the riser 20. For example, means of the'typedisclosed in my Patent'Noi 2,373,009, granted April 3,-1945,'maybeprovi'ded for the production of 2 air foam for delivery to and throughthe riser 20.

A pipe section or sleeve 22, having at its lower end a radiallyextending flange 23 adapted to 'be bolted or otherwise secured to theflangezl, provides an upward extension of the riser. At'its upper endthe section 22 is provided with a laterally extending flange 24. This isat a slight distance below the free upper end of the sleeve. A hood 25,having in its bottom adjacent'one end a circular opening adapted to fitover and snugly receive the upper end of the sleeve 22, isprov'ided witha laterally extending flange 26, which may be bolted or otherwisedetachably securedt'o the flange 24. Hood 25, as best shown in Figure 2,

extends laterally at the t'opof the sleeve 22 and is provided witha'downwardlysloping top 21 insure a firm and tight connection betweenthese time the intake port Of'thB' fitting I6 will be 'ex-' h Variousarrangements of I the; con

- vertically 'into the atmos here: If desi parts. The underside of thehood 25 is provided with an opening corresponding with the intake portof the fitting I6 and normally aligned with the latter when the hood isin the position shown in Figures 1 and 2.

If desired, a vapor seal formed of cellophane or other flexible,impervious material, capable of preventing-the di'scharge'of vapors fromthe tank and adapted to be readily broken by the pressure of the foam inthe event of a fire, may be provided within the intake port of thefitting 46. For this purpose-"a frame 28 may be welded or otherwisesecured to the fitting [6 at a slight dis tance inwardly fromthe face ofthe flange 19. A vapor sealing member 29 may be extended acrossthisframeiii any suitable way. It may be clamped in place between the parts of aremovabljeframe' 3Q adapted to be secured to the frame '28 byscrews 31or the like. The arrangement is preferably such that the upper ends ofthe screws 31 are flush with or slightly below the level of the outerface of the flange I9.

Whenever it is desired to replace the vapor sealin member 29 or to testthe foam producing equipment, the bolts or other securing meansconnecting -the hood 2,5 with:theiflanges 19 and 24V are removed and thehood may then be rotated, bymeansof a hand; wheel 32 attached to thehood, about the axis of the riser'to carry the discharge Spout of thehood away from the fitting I6 into the position'indicated. in FiguresSand 4. As bestshown'in Figure 3, any foam delivered upwardly intothe-riser will at this time bej discharged, as indicated alt-33 awayfrom. the tank and awayfrom-the fitting "[6. At the-same posed forinspection or replacement of the vapor seal. a

-In lieuof swiveling thehood 25 about the upper end of the sleeve 22,the"hood"may,"if desired; be

mounted; for sliding-movement as shown in Figure 5. A track or guideway'34 may be pro- Vided in association withthe flanges l9 and 24 and the'hood 25a maybe shifted either to one" side or the other alongthis' trackor guidew'ay its vapor seal member, if oneis provided. Moreover; when inthis position, any foam which may beclelivered'fo'r'testfp'urposesintothe riser will be discharged'downwardlyat the opposite side of l the riser and will no't-"ententh'tank. If desired, provision may be made for the sliding of the'hood'only'in' this one direction. Howeven'if it'is made slidable'alsoin th'e'opposite'direction the upper endo f the riser and the extensionsleeve 22 'will'be'exposed for inspection andcl eaning."

In that event, also, th e foam for testing purposes may be dischargedupwardly while the intake opening andvap'or seal of the fitting l 6'willbe protected by'the hood? In Figure 6 there is shown anothermodifieation in which'the hood '25Zj'is'h'ingedly m'oiiiited upon theflange 24 of the riser extension '22 by'means Ora" hinge35. Withthisty'pe or construction the bolts or "other securing'frneans forretainingthe hood'in normal operative position may be removed and the'hood' swung about the'hirige into the position indicated ih' bro'k'enlines. At this time the-intake opening .andvapor-seal member will beexposed, as will also theupper of the riser v extension 22. Any-"reamdelivered into thelatter for'test purposes 'WiIPtrien simplybedischarged hinge could be provided along one of the longer sides" of thehood and functionin the same.

manner.

A further modified construction is shown in Figure 7'. Here the hood isformed in two sections 36 and 31, which are hinged together at 38.Normally the two sections of the hood will be secured.

of the hood is released and swungu'pwar'd'ly about the hinge 38f.If.c'lesirled,teachsedtionxzould be hingedly secured along a lower edgeto the associated supporting flange and the two sections then merelylocked together in some suitable way, as by bolts or the like. v

In all of the arrangementsdescribed above the hood-like member andassociated parts are preferably disposed close to and-:ju'st below theroof of the tank so that all work on the parts may be carried out fromthe roof without the use of ladders, cradles or special tools.

While several illustrative embodiments of the invention have beendescribed in considerable detail, it will be understood that numerouschanges may be made in the construction .and arrangement of the variousparts without departing from the scope and principles of the invention.

I claim:

1. In apparatus of the class described a tank, means for delivering fireextinguishing foam to said tank, including a riser extending verticallyalong the side of said tank, said riser having a horizontally disposedlaterally extending flange at its upper end, a hood mounted on saidflange and having a discharge opening spaced horizontally from the axisof said riser, and an inlet fitting secured to said tank adjacent saidriser, said fitting having .an inlet adapted to register with saiddischarge opening when said hood is in one position and being adapted todeliver foam discharged thereby into the interior of said tank, saidhood and riser having interfitting portions arranged to permit turningof said hood about the axis of said riser.

2. In apparatus of the class described a tank, means including a riserextending vertically along the side of said tank for delivering fireextinguishing foam thereto, an inlet fitting secured to said tankadjacent the upper end of said riser but spaced horizontally therefrom,hood means carried at least in part by said riser adapted to connect theupper end of said riser with said inlet fitting for delivering foam tosaid tank, and means for mounting at least a part of said hood means formovement relative to said riser to a position in which it enables thedischarge of said foam in a direction away from said inlet fitting, saidmounting means serving to support at least said part of said hood meansin its movement into said position and to confine such movement to apredetermined path.

3. In apparatus of the class described a tank, means including a riserextending vertically along the side of said tank for delivering fireextinguishing foam thereto, an inlet fitting secured to said tankadjacent the upper end of said riser, said fitting having an inletopening spaced horizontally from said riser, means on said fitting forretaining a vapor s'eal across said opening; mov able hood means carriedat least'in part by said riser adapted to connect the upper end'of saidriser with said inlet fitting for delivering foam to said tank,and-means for mounting at least a part of said hood means for movementrelative to said riser to a position in which said foam is caused'ito'be directed away from said inlet fitting, said mounting means servingtosupp'ort at leas't'sai'd part of said hood means its movement intosaid position and to confine such movement to' a predeterminedpath.

4. In apparatus of the class described a tank,

means including-a'riser extending vertically along the side of said tankfor delivering fire extinguishing'foam thereto, an elbow shaped inletfitting-secured to said tank adjacent the upper end of said riser, saidfitting having an inlet passage therethrough provided with ahorizontally disposed intake port, means for retaining a Vapor sealmember across said intake port, movable hood means normally disposedsubstantiallyhorizontally to connect the upper end of said riser withsaid inlet fitting for delivering foam to said tank, said hood meanshaving a horizontally disposed'dis'charge port adapted to register withsaid intake port but movable out of registry therewith to direct foamdelivered through said riser away from said intake port, and meansconnected with said riser for supporting said hood means during itsmovements into and out of registry with said intake port and forconfining said movements to a predetermined path.

5. In apparatus of the class described a tank, means including a riserextending vertically along the side of said tank for delivering fireextinguishing foam thereto, an inlet fitting secured to said tankadjacent the upper end of said riser, said fitting having an inletpassage therethrough provided with a horizontally disposed intake port,slidable hood means adapted to connect the upper end of said riser withsaid inlet fitting for delivering foam to said tank, said hood meansbeing slidable to a position to cause discharge of said foam away fromsaid inlet fitting, and means connected with said riser for supportingsaid hood means and for confining the same to a predetermined path inits sliding movements.

6. In apparatus of the class described a tank, means including a riserextending vertically along the side of said tank for delivering fireextinguishing foam thereto, an inlet fitting secured to said tankadjacent the upper end of said riser, said fitting having an inletpassage therethrough provided with a horizontally disposed intake port,and pivotally mounted hood means adapted to connect the upper end ofsaid riser with said inlet fitting for delivering foam to said tank,said hood means being swingable about its pivot to a position to causedischarge of said foam away from said inlet fitting, the pivot of saidhood means serving to confine said hood means to a predetermined path inits movement to said position and to support the same in said position.

'7. In apparatus of the class described a tank, means including a riserextending vertically along the side of said tank for delivering'fireextinguishing foam thereto, an inlet fitting secured to said tankadjacent the upper end of said riser, said fitting having an inletpassage therethrough provided with a horizontally disposed intake port,hood means carried at least in part by said riser and adapted to connectthe upper end of said connected with at least a part of said hood meansarranged to permit swinging of said part to expose the upper end of saidriser and cause the delivery of foam into the atmosphere, said hingemeans serving to confine said part of said hood means to a predeterminedpath in its swinging movement and to support the same when it is swungto expose the upper end of said riser.

8. In apparatus of the ,class described a tank, means including a riserextending vertically along the siderof said tank for delivering fireextinguishing foam thereto, an inlet fitting secured to said tankadjacent the upper end of said riser, said fitting having a horizontallydisposed intake port, means for retaining a sealing member on said inletfitting, a plurality of connected hood sections adapted to provide apassage connecting the upper end of said riser with said inlet fitting,a hinge serving to connect said hood sections,

one of said hood sections being tiltable to expose 20 said riser andfitting having outlet and inlet passages, respectively, along parallelspaced axes, hood means adapted to connect the outlet passage of saidriser with the inlet passage of said inlet fitting for delivering foamto said tank, means supporting said hood means and providing a pivottherefor for turning movement thereof about one of said axes, and meanson said hood means for turning the same to .a position to causedischarge of said foam away from the inlet passage of said inletfitting.

HOWARD EDWIN BEDFORD.

' REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 204,887 Connelly June 18,18781,559,949 Feldmeier Nov. 3, 1925 1,917,694 Boyd July 11, 1933 FOREIGNPATENTS Number Country Date 268,285 Great Britain Apr. 14, 1927

